Quite a lot as it turns out! If you have even a couple of hours layover it’s well worth leaving the tiny airport and heading into town. From Poznan airport to the city it takes only 15 minutes by taxi and once you’re in the city centre there’s so much crammed into a tiny area that you can cover a lot in just a short space of time.

How to get there

There’s a taxi rank directly outside the airport exit. Most of the drivers don’t speak English but if you tell them “Centre” they will understand. Just before you exit the airport there’s a tourist information desk where you can pick up a free map in your language. That’s worth doing to ease the communication with your taxi driver.

Although Poland is in the EU they don’t use Euros. Taking out Polish złoty will make your life easier and potentially cheaper (if you can use them all up in one hour). But some taxi drivers will accept Euros, just expect to pay a higher price if you do this.

For a one way ride into town expect to pay around 30 złoty or 10 Euros. Or in my case, 20 Euros because they didn’t have change and that’s all I had to get back to the airport!

The taxi takes around 15 minutes and you pass a couple of interesting sites. Look out for big and bright street murals on the sides of buildings, the red brick Royal Castle and the particularly striking Adam Mickiewicz Square. which will be on your left as you drive into town. You shouldn’t have any problems spotting the two giant crosses that make up the 1956 monument; a tribute to the first Polish rebellion against the Soviet regime.

What to see

The taxi drops you off next to the beautiful Market Square. Take a wander around and enjoy the higgledy-piggledy buildings huddled against each other. You can happily spend ages taking photos of the delightful multi-coloured houses.

In the centre of the square stands the beautiful town hall. If you time your trip for midday you can watch two mechanical goats butting heads as the clock chimes. But even if you miss these it’s still wonderful to stand and listen to the bells alone which go off on the hour every hour.

Also, there’s a public toilet in the centre of the square that’s worth using just to experience the novelty of using a foot pump to flush the loo and to make the taps work!

Once you’ve relieved yourself and had your fill of characterful architecture and bells, take a look inside the Arsenal Galeria Meijska a modern art gallery in the square. It’s free and showcases some impressive Polish installation art.

For a sweet treat pop into the Wedel Chocolate lounge for a trio of hot chocolate; one dark, one milk and one white. And if you’re feeling really adventurous try their iced chocolate with raspberries in wine on a raspberry sorbet. Although Wedel’s is a chain chocolatier their products are really good. I wasn’t surprised to learn this is Poland’s favourite chocolate brand.

Finally, take a little saunter up the side street Swietostawska to the Parish church of the city of Poznan. If you happen to be there on Saturday you can catch an organ concert. Otherwise just check out the grand interior and the modern take on lighting candles which are actually light bulbs activated by inserting a coin.

And that’s your hour up! Time to make your way back to the taxi rank.

If you have some extra time

The Croissant museum is a lot of fun. Although it’s called a museum it’s actually more like an interactive show and lasts for around one hour. You need to check the times beforehand and if you book a slot at 11.10 you get the chance to watch the butting goats from their prime viewing spot.

For a good walking tour that lasts less than two hours, the Poznan Free Walking Tour is a great option and starts from outside the town hall at 11.45.

If you want to venture out of the square, it’s only a 7-minute walk to the gorgeous Thin Wire Mural, a giant painting of a woman trying to stitch together the Polish flag.

*This is not a sponsored post. All views are my own based on my personal experience visiting Poznan in October 2018

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Published by wheresmelnow

Mel is a solo female travel blogger living in Iceland. She has travelled to 70+ countries seeking strange stories and unusual experiences. When not being rescued from mountain tops or hanging out with street cats she's probably contemplating modern art, listening to an audiobook or sending subliminal messages to the weirdos of the world.
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